A Family Faces Food Insecurity in America’s Heartland

In Iowa, Christina Dreier and her husband often must choose between paying bills and buying enough food for their family, despite having many of the trappings of middle-class life. Food stamps and the local food pantry provide some relief, but sometimes the Dreiers’ best efforts aren’t enough.

Millions of Americans currently struggle with hunger, and those numbers are on the rise. And while the price of fresh food has risen in recent decades, junk food remains plentiful and often cheap. For many of the hungry in America, the extra pounds that result from a poor diet are a side effect of hunger itself.

A Family Faces Food Insecurity in America’s Heartland

In Iowa, Christina Dreier and her husband often must choose between paying bills and buying enough food for their family, despite having many of the trappings of middle-class life. Food stamps and the local food pantry provide some relief, but sometimes the Dreiers’ best efforts aren’t enough.

Millions of Americans currently struggle with hunger, and those numbers are on the rise. And while the price of fresh food has risen in recent decades, junk food remains plentiful and often cheap. For many of the hungry in America, the extra pounds that result from a poor diet are a side effect of hunger itself.